Lois Krakowski is helped down the steps of Superior Court in Milford. Krakowski's granddaughter, Ashlie Krakowski, was killed traffic accident in 2009, when the vehicle in which she was a passenger was struck by former Milford police officer Jason Anderson. Melanie Stengel

Lawyer Hugh Keefe, left, and client Jason Andersen listen as individual jurors are polled after reaching a verdict at Superior court in Milford. Former Milford police officer Jason Anderson struck and killed two people in 2009. Melanie Stengel/Register

MILFORD -- Fired city police Officer Jason Anderson Wednesday was found guilty of two counts of misconduct with a motor vehicle and faces up to 10 years in prison when sentenced Jan. 16.

Anderson, 37, was on trial in Superior Court in the June 13, 2009, deaths of driver David Servin and passenger Ashlie Krakowski, both 19 and of Orange. He remains free on $250,000 bail.

After the verdict was read, defense attorney Hugh F. Keefe of New Haven said his client was "very upset."

"He wanted, as I did, an acquittal," Keefe said.

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State's Attorney Kevin D. Lawlor said no one is above the law, while members of the teens' families praised the prosecutor's work.

Anderson was driving his police cruiser at 94 mph at 2:15 a.m. on Boston Post Road in Orange when it struck the teens' car as it turned left in front of the cruiser, killing Servin and Krakowski. Anderson was not answering an emergency call at the time.

The defense argued that Servin was driving Krakowski's Mazda while under the influence, with a 0.14 blood alcohol concentration, did not stop at a blinking red light at Dogwood Road, which is off the Post Road, and failed to grant right of way to Anderson.

The six-person jury returned the verdict Wednesday afternoon in its fourth day of deliberations.

Anderson originally was charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter, but was found guilty of the lesser charge.

He also was found guilty of one count of reckless driving, for which he faces 30 days in jail.

Lawlor declined to name the penalty Anderson faces, except to say: "The state will be seeking a period of incarceration."

Lawlor said he is awaiting a presentencing report.

After accepting the jury's verdict, Judge Denise D. Markle praised the professionalism of both Keefe and Lawlor, and noted the difficulty of the case.

Markle said the Servin and Krakowski families and Anderson's supporters had sat on opposite sides of the room throughout the trial.

"I've come out here every day. I've seen the anguish. The court does appreciate the anguish on both sides," Markle said.

Lois Krakowski of Orange, grandmother of Ashlie Krakowski, singled out the work of the prosecution.

"Kevin Lawlor was wonderful ... and the expert witnesses were brilliant," she said on the courthouse steps after the verdict was read. "I think that justice was finally served."

Asked how she held up during the trial, Krakowski said, "It was very challenging."

Lawlor said the case was about holding someone accountable for the teens' deaths.

"It's a day that had to happen," Lawlor said on the courthouse steps. "There are no winners in this case."

Later, in the state's attorney's office, Lawlor commented on the case. "He (Anderson) was found responsible. I'm relieved that the jury saw it that way."

Lawlor said it was tough to bring a case against a former cop.

"It's difficult to prosecute a case like this for me, personally, when it's a police officer because it was not an intentional act. It was a criminally negligent act, according to the jury," Lawlor said.

"The law applies equally to all," Lawlor said. "Our job is to present the facts and let the jury decide, and now it's up to the judge to fashion an appropriate sentence."

As to the four days of deliberations, the jurors "went on longer than expected," Lawlor said.

Keefe, speaking after Lawlor on the courthouse steps, called the verdict "unprecedented."

"This was a very unique, very interesting jury deliberation, probably the most interesting and unique jury deliberation I've had in 40 years," Keefe said.

"The state very definitely wanted manslaughter charges," he said. "Well, they didn't get it."

Keefe referred to questions raised by the jury and the judge's response.

"The more you send a jury back and tell them that what they did was erroneous, the chances are they're going to change their verdict," Keefe said.

"The jury got the impression that the only way we're going to get out of this building on a snowy blizzard day is if we find this guy guilty," he said.

"We have a lot of issues to talk about on appeal," Keefe said.

Susan Servin, David's mother, said later Wedneday that the families went out together after the verdict to relax, "to take a deep breath and to say, 'Thank goodness justice was finally done.'"

"We are so grateful that justice is done so we can get back to moving forward with our lives and with dealing with what we deal with every day: dealing with the loss of a child," Servin said.

She said the death of her son is "always there."

"It's the presence of an absence. ... And sometimes it's very painful and it's unpredictable. I don't know why.

"Whether we were picking up some contact lens solution, going to Stop & Shop," where David Servin's former co-workers always greet her. "Sometimes, it's hard to talk to them."

"It's everywhere, but this part of it, hopefully, is put to rest and we just move on with the rest of it."

Servin said the families always saw "eye to eye."

The family is offering financial aid to students of Gateway Community College, which Servin had attended.

The David Servin Memorial Scholarship provides $500 for tuition, books and supplies. Students must have a 2.0 grade point average and be entering a helping profession.

Call Phyllis Swebilius at 203-789-5681. Sign up for the New Haven Register/Milford Matters email newsletter for all the latest news on Milford.